Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is making a final attempt this week to
lessen the impact of a new program that calls for all the nation's
children to be screened for mental-health problems, offering
language to the federal omnibus spending bill that would require
parental consent before such testing could be done.

As WorldNetDaily reported, in September Paul attempted to have
the program removed from Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations
Act. His amendment failed the House of Representatives by a vote
of 95-315.

This week, Paul offered the following language to the omnibus
bill:

"None of the funds made available for State Incentive Grants
for Transformation should be used for any programs of mandatory or
universal mental-health screening that performs mental-health
screening on anyone under 18 years of age without the express,
written permission of the parents or legal guardians of each
individual involved."

The program in question was proposed by the New Freedom
Commission on Mental Health, which President Bush established in
2002. The New Freedom Initiative recommends screening not only for
children but eventually for every American.

Critics of the plan say it is a thinly veiled attempt by drug
companies to provide a wider market for high-priced
antidepressants and antipsychotic medication, and puts government
in areas of Americans' lives where it does not belong.

The congressman, who is known for his strict adherence to the
Constitution, wrote in a letter to his colleagues before the
September vote: "As you know, psychotropic drugs are increasingly
prescribed for children who show nothing more than children's
typical rambunctious behavior. Many children have suffered harmful
effects from these drugs. Yet some parents have even been charged
with child abuse for refusing to drug their children. The federal
government should not promote national mental-health screening
programs that will force the use of these psychotropic drugs such
as Ritalin."

The New Freedom Commission found that "despite their
prevalence, mental disorders often go undiagnosed" and recommended
comprehensive mental-health screening for "consumers of all ages,"
including preschool children.

Kent Snyder of the Paul-founded Liberty Committee explained in
an e-mail alert to supporters that "key members of the House
leadership attempted to add Dr. Paul's language to the omnibus
spending bill, but some members of the Senate objected.

"So now the question of whether your kids can be subjected to
forced psychological testing – and perhaps even forced drugging –
rests in the hands of the U.S. Senate."

Snyder says the omnibus spending bill likely will be finalized
tomorrow morning, and he encourages people to
contact their U.S. senators to express support for the Paul
language.

"Just as we convinced the House leadership to support the Paul
language, we must now go to work to convince the Senate," said
Snyder.

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